Secretly, My Daughter
by BreadQueen42
Summary: What does one drunken night lead to for Lily Evans and Severus Snape and how does it changes their lives? Well it leads to... a sick banshee? Or so he thought at first.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, however, I do own the lovely Victoria and the plot.

Secretly, My Daughter

Prologue

Chaos! Sheer, utter chaos! How could she expect him to…? With he a…? No, a solution would be found. It is imperative. And such were the thoughts of Severus Snape as he paced about the sitting room of his house in Spinners End. His emotions were in turmoil - he was shocked and confused, angry and also hurt, the type of hurt that could only be induced by a loved one - as were his thoughts turbulent while he recalled the last few hours with disgust at his own hopeful naiveté and inability to change the circumstances of the situation.

_He had just received a letter from Lily telling him that she urgently needed to see him at her mother's house (her father having died over a year ago). He quickly set the letter down, grabbed his cloak, headed out the door, and Apparated away. _

_As Severus walked toward Lily's house from the park that they used to play in while they were children, he wondered why Lily needed to see him. Perhaps she finally realized that she loved him and not Potter, especially after their drunken night together the day before they left Hogwarts. Yes, that makes perfect sense; she must be leaving Potter for him! This could very well be the happiest day of his life, and to think it had started off unfavorably._

_With these hopeful thoughts swirling about his mind, Severus spotted the house and quickened his pace to an almost jog. He soon reached the front door and rang the bell, eagerly awaiting his love. Within moments, the door opened and he was greeted with a sight he hadn't seen in months, save in his dreams. It was Lily, his Lily. Oh, how he had missed her._

"_Lily," he breathed._

"_Hello Sev," she said with a tired smile, "please come in. I need to discuss something with you." She led him through the house, into the sitting room, and motioned for him to sit down.._

_As he followed Lily, Severus realized just how much he missed her; the sound of her voice, her lovely, thick, red hair, and her eyes, those vibrant, emerald eyes. He missed her eyes the most, though they looked tired and were circled in black. Now that he was paying more attention, he noticed how paled and tired she looked. Was she ill? He hoped it wasn't serious; he couldn't bare his having his Lily in such a condition._

"_Sev, do you remember the last time we saw each other, that last night in the castle?" At his affirmative nod she continued, "Well, there's no easy or proper way to tell you this. There were some… well, there was an unexpected result of that night. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I was so frightened when I found out and then I had to think about James and what this would do to him. I didn't know what to do. I was so afraid and so confused. I still am, but I now what I have to do. Oh Sev, I'm so, so sorry!"_

_He knew it. She had fallen in love with him, finally. "Lily, calm down, you're babbling. You know you can tell me anything. I've never stopped being your friend, even after that despicable event in our fifth year. Now, what's gotten you acting this wa - " and before he could finish talking he was interrupted by a rather loud wail coming from the second floor and Lily running up the stairs, presumably to investigate._

_The sound was somewhat reminiscent of a banshee to him. But it couldn't be a banshee. They were much louder than that; unless it was sick. Could banshee's even get sick? Severus had no idea._

_The wailing stopped and he realized that he had left Lily to deal with the sick banshee all by herself. Cursing himself as all manner of fool, Severus stood up and was beginning to make his way out of the room when she came back in with a bundle of something in her arms. Was _that_ the banshee? No, it was too small to be a banshee. Perhaps it was a baby banshee. Yes, that would explain it. It must be a baby bansh - …baby… unexpected result… it couldn't be!_

"_Lily, what is that?" he asked with trepidation._

"_This is your daughter, Severus," she said with a small smile and a slightly shaking voice. "Her name is Victoria Eileen Snape, after both of our mothers. She was born a few days ago on March the twenty-ninth at 10:27 in the evening. She looks just like me except for her hair and her hands. I think she is also more like you in personality. Just yesterday when I stopped feeding her, it seemed like she was staring at me, and then she lifted her eyebrow the same way you do.. I laughed so hard when she did that. Would, would you like to hold her?"_

_He nodded mutely at her and held out his arms. Lily gently set the now sleeping Victoria in Severus' arms and then stepped back, smiling sadly at the stunned, wondering look on his face. Yes, they would be good for each other. She had made the right decision, though it was breaking her heart._

_He had a daughter? He and Lily had a daughter? He was a father. This was unbelievable, completely unbelievable. How could this have happened? They had taken precautions, hadn't they?_

"_How?" was the only word he could croak out._

_She shook her head slowly, "It would seem that the combination of alcohol and sex make for improper spell casting. I wish I had a better explanation, but I can't remember everything that happened that night."_

_He nodded again and continued to stare at his daughter. This was surreal. He had a daughter. He still couldn't believe it. She was so tiny, so delicate. She looked just like her mother, beautiful. Victoria chose that moment to yawn and snuggle closer to her father's chest, and at that moment he knew that he was smitten._

"_Severus? There was more than one reason for me asking you here today. I need you to take Victoria. I cannot keep her. And I can't leave James. We're engaged. If I had known that I was pregnant when he proposed, I would have said no and left the country to raise Victoria away from this war. But it's too late. I am bound to James for the rest of my life. You have to take her. She'll be safer with you than with me, and James can never know. Please Sev, say you will, say you will take her. Promise me you will always care for her and protect her no matter what. Promise me!" she cried almost hysterically._

_She wanted him to take Victoria? But as he looked at his Lily staring up at him with glassy-eyed desperation, he knew that he could not say no. He never could when she looked at him like that._

"_I will take her. I will care for her. I promise, no matter what."_

This was preposterous! How was he supposed to protect his daughter? He was a Death Eater. His daughter was the illegitimate child of a Halfblood and Muggleborn, the child of a Slytherin Death Eater and an intelligent Muggleborn Gryffindor. If the Dark Lord ever found out, all three of them would be murdered. And he would probably be made to watch as first Victoria and then Lily were tortured to death.

That was it. He could no longer be a Death Eater, not that he much enjoyed it anymore anyway. He must protect them at all costs. But how to do it? How could he protect them from the Dark Lord while staying alive? As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help and some sort of cover story. Who could help him? Who could he trust to never betray them, even unwittingly?

And then it came to him. Albus Dumbledore, the only person the Dark Lord had ever feared. Yes, he needed Albus Dumbledore.

_A/N: Greetings and salutations to you dear readers! I hope that you liked the beginning of this new story of mine. Please review and tell me what you think about it so far, even if you didn't like it. And I know, I know, a story similar to this has probably been written already (Snape and Lily have a daughter), but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave, so I had to write it. Anyway, I will probably post the next chapter within the next month. Ta for now._


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, however, I do own the lovely Victoria and the plot.

Secretly, My Daughter

Chapter One

"Dad!" yelled Victoria Snape as she added a few last minute items to her bag. "Where's the book Albus gave me for my birthday? I can't find it, and I really want to read it on the train."

"You really needn't shriek so, little banshee. I'm right here," said Severus Snape upon entering his daughters bedroom. "You packed all of your books in your trunk last night. Do you really need one with you on the train?"

"Well yes, _of course,"_ she said with some exasperation. "It's going to be a long train ride, and I'm probably going to get bored. I don't want to waste time staring out the window when I could be learning something new and interesting. Honestly Dad, I thought that you of all people would understand that."

Severus looked at his daughter with her arms crossed and scowling at him. She was very much like Lily in appearance with the exceptions of hair color, her hands, and her posture. Her current stance was definitely more resembling of him rather than her mother.

"Victoria, one of the reasons for traveling to and from Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express is to help enable the new students to meet other students as well as make some friends in a more relaxed environment than at the school. Knowing that, are you really going to spend the entire train ride reading a book and ignoring the existence of others? You should try to meet new people and make some friends."

"Why would I want to become friends with any of your 'dunderheaded students' close to my age? I doubt any of them have heard of even a quarter of the books I've read let alone have actually read any of them. I'm also sure that none of them will be able to keep up with me or have an intelligent conversation. I'm going to school to learn, not to socialize. I don't need to make any friends while I'm there."

Severus internally sighed, she was much like him in this regard. He remembered thinking along similar lines when he was her age and getting ready to leave for Hogwarts. Although, he did have one friend his age whereas Victoria has none.

"Having friends or, at the very least, someone you feel comfortable speaking with on a regular basis can make it easier to get through school. Your classmates will all be facing similar issues and troubles as you. This allows for a greater capacity of empathy should you find yourself in need of it.

"There is also the matter of schoolwork. Should you need help with completing any assignments or studying for any exams, your classmates would be able to help."

"Dad, if I need to talk to someone I'll find you, Albus, or Poppy. Same thing goes if I need help with any assignments or studying. I like it better that way."

"You may think that way now, but in a few years time you, most likely, will not want to come to me for everything. When that time comes, I hope that you'll have someone that you can talk to. All I ask is that you try and don't ignore everyone on the train today."

"Alright, I'll try, but only because you asked me to. I still don't think it'll make a difference. And, I'd still like to take a book with me."

"I suppose that that's the most I can expect for now. You may borrow one of my books just so long as nobody else touches it and you return it when you have finished."

"Thanks, Dad," she said with a smile. "Now, let's go. We're going to be late."

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Victoria and Severus Snape quickly walked through Kings Cross Station toward Platform 9 ¾ where the Hogwarts Express was waiting. They had fifteen minutes to get to the platform before the train left when they finally spotted it. They hurried their pace and made it through the barrier.

The two Snape's promptly loaded Victoria's trunk onto the train and walked a short distance from the crowd of parents parting with their children. They both preferred to have at least a small bit of privacy for their own farewell.

"Now, you are sure that you're ready for this?" he questioned quietly. "We could just continue to tutor you until you've completed all the required materials."

Victoria smiled at her father. "Well this is ironic. The same man, who not long ago was trying to convince me to make friends my own age, is now practically asking me if I'm sure that I want to go. Why the sudden change of heart, Dad?"

"There was no 'change of heart,' Victoria. I simply needed to know if you were sure of your decision. As your father, it is my duty to make sure that you are ready and prepared for each step you take in life. Regardless of your answer, though, I was planning on putting you on that train."

The truth was, however, that he would have continued the tutoring. Severus, like so many fathers before him, felt that he was not ready for his daughter to grow up. He still liked to think of her as the little girl who, at the age of three, ran into the Great Hall with her cloak in her little hands held as far behind her as possible and straight into the arms of her godfather saying quite loudly, "Look, Awbus, look! I'm a great, big bat like Daddy." Luckily for them all, it happened during the winter holidays, so there were few students that actually witnessed the event. "Awbus" Obliviated the memory of that particular event from those students soon after it happened, but Severus would remember it always. He had been extremely hard-pressed not to laugh aloud at the time.

"It's almost time for you to leave."

"I know Dad. You know, this really isn't much different from the last few years, but somehow it feels different to me. Weird isn't it?"

"Not really. I know what you mean. I'm going to miss seeing you as often as I am used to."

Victoria then embraced her father tightly and whispered the words, "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too my little banshee, I love you too." They stayed like that for a moment until Severus pulled away. "It's time you boarded the train."

Giving him one last squeeze, Victoria boarded the Hogwarts Express and found an empty compartment. As the clock struck eleven and the train began pulling out of the station, she leaned out the window and waved goodbye until she could no longer see the Polyjuiced form of her father.

_A/N: Hello there! I have finally posted chapter one (YAY). Thank you to everyone who has read it thus far. Also, thank you to those who have reviewed, subscribed, or added this story to their favorites. I seriously appreciate it. Now, I expect to update sometime within the month. Ta all._


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, however, I do own the lovely Victoria and the plot.

Secretly, My Daughter

Chapter Two

In the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, Poppy Pomfrey, and Severus Snape sat waiting for this years batch of first years to walk through the doors. Though they didn't show it, all three were anxious for the Sorting Ceremony to begin. In a matter of minutes, their daughter and goddaughter would be Sorted.

While Severus waited, he wondered what house Victoria would be in. He hoped that she wouldn't be Sorted into Slytherin house. Being a "Halfblood" in Slytherin was not a particularly enjoyable experience; he ought to know considering that he was one once. It would also be more dangerous for her than in any other house should the knowledge of her true parentage come out. It was already slightly dangerous to her because she was known to be the headmasters goddaughter.

And even if it hadn't been so dangerous, he still would not have wanted her to be a Slytherin. Quite a few children of the Dark Lord's followers were in that house, or soon would be. He did not want his daughter living with such a huge influence hanging over her head. And yet, it would make life somewhat more simple for him. He would be in a better position to watch over her and would not need to inform any other Head of House that he was her father. Severus would also be able to openly favor and commend her for her intelligence were she a Slytherin.

So preoccupied was he with such thoughts and worries that he did not immediately notice when the doors opened and the first years traipsed into the Hall preceded by Professor McGonagall and the Sorting Hat. When Severus finally did take notice he looked up, eyes roving over the new students searching for his daughter. At last, he spotted her toward the end of the line in between two other children. She glanced up and gave him a small smile to which he replied with a barely perceptible nod. It looked as though Victoria might have listened to him about not ignoring people on the train. That was good.

Soon enough, all of the first years were spread out toward the end of the Hall preparing to be Sorted. The deputy headmistress explained the Sorting process. When she finished, the Hat sang its customary song about the school and its founders. After the song ended, the Sorting Ceremony began.

"Andrews, Nicholas!"

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Victoria listed with only half an ear to Professor McGonagall's speech about being Sorted into houses. She had heard it before so it wasn't particularly interesting to her. She also wasn't worried about which house she would be placed in like the two she had shared a compartment on the train with were. She knew where she wanted to go, although, she was slightly curious as to where they would be placed. They weren't as dunderheaded as she expected them to be. Perhaps she would befriend them.

After McGonagall finished her speech and retrieved the Sorting Hat from the headmasters office, she led the first years into the Great Hall. Victoria followed toward the end of the line between her two new "friends" who were still holding a whispered conversation about their house placement. As she walked through the doors, the young witch immediately glanced up at the High Table in search of her father. She gave him a small, fleeting smile when she spotted him and then looked around the rest of the room until she arrived at the front of the Hall.

As the Sorting Hat sang its song, she surreptitiously watched Severus from beneath her lashes. She knew that he had seen her walk in with two other first years. Victoria also knew that he was probably feeling rather smug about that little fact.

Soon enough, the song ended and the Sorting began. She paid very little heed to the proceedings or her father. Instead, Victoria watched her godparents. Poppy was visibly excited and jostling her leg with anxious impatience. Albus was not so transparent, however, he was smiling more broadly than usual. She shook her head at her godparents, subtlety was definitely not a strong personality trait for either of them.

She turned her attention back to the Sorting and noted that the person just called up had the last name of Raine. It would soon be her turn to be Sorted, but she had a few more minutes. She glanced around the room again. She wondered if it would rain later that night; the ceiling was quite overcast. And that was when she heard it, barely after she had completed her last thought.

"Vandelle, Victoria."

Victoria Snape, one of the few first years yet to be Sorted, walked toward Professor McGonagall and the Sorting Hat. She soon sat on the stool and then felt the Hat being placed upon her head.

_And where shall I put _you_, Miss Victoria Snape? You could do quite well in any of the houses. However, you thrive when challenged. Either Ravenclaw or Slytherin for you._

_I would like to be in Ravenclaw. Slytherin is too dangerous, according to my father. I don't really want to be there anyway._

_You are sure? Very well then._

"RAVENCLAW!"

Victoria stood up, walked over to the Ravenclaw table, and sat down amid her applauding new housemates, smiling the entire time. She was indescribably happy. Life had gotten very interesting.

_A/N: Hello everyone! This was originally half of chapter two, but I decided that I will make it into two chapters instead. Much more will be explained in the next chapter, I promise. I apologize for leaving you all in the dark. I should be able to update fairly soon, but I need to update one of my other stories first. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. Until next time then!_


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, however, I do own the lovely Victoria and the plot.

Secretly, My Daughter

Chapter Three

Though he would never admit it to anyone other than Victoria, Severus was incredibly proud of his daughter. He knew that it was very difficult for her growing up with no mother and the inability to acknowledge him as anyone other than the cruelly sarcastic and snarky Professor Snape in public. Living a life chalked full of lies and deceit was no way for a child to grow up, but Victoria had made the most of it. She rose above it all, and he knew that - when she would become an adult - she would be an exceptional witch and human being.

He had watched her covertly throughout the entire Sorting Ceremony. Severus wasn't at all that surprised that Victoria had been Sorted into Ravenclaw, mostly he was just thankful that she hadn't been Sorted into Gryffindor. That would have been almost too much to bear, partly - mostly - because of her mother and partly because he would dearly hate having to berate her even more. Such was the necessary way for the Slytherin head to act toward all those despicable Gryffindor's, the most horrible of all students at Hogwarts.

Severus continued to watch her as she ate and spoke with her new housemates. She looked happy, which was a very good thing in his opinion. But just to make sure, he would check in with her after her first Potions class. For now, though, he needed to plan out exactly how he would inform Filius of Victoria's true parentage.

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Victoria sat down at the table next to one of her new friends, Evelyn Kingston, or Evie as she had asked to be called, who had also been Sorted into Ravenclaw. Her other new friend, William Lowe, had been Sorted into Hufflepuff. Victoria smirked at the thought of what her father would say when he finds out that she has a Hufflepuff friend. His contempt of that house was notorious, especially to those who know him for who he really was rather than the façade he put on every day.

The Welcoming Feast seemed to be quite a grand event for the students. However, the young Snape witch wasn't sure how she felt about it. Yes, she had attended a few of them before, but never as a student. She had always been there with one of her godparents at the High Table. This change was rather unnerving, though she had known that it would have happened eventually. It was quite probable that she was excited about it, but didn't know how to express it nor was she sure that she really wanted to.

"Aren't you Dumbledore's granddaughter or something like that?"

The question caught Victoria's attention and she turned toward the boy sitting across the table and a bit to the right. It appeared that now was the time to tell the elaborately constructed tale of her life. She had hoped that no one would ask her for a few more days at least, but this boy obviously had no problem asking personal questions of a girl he had never met. She mentally sighed with annoyance at his appalling lack of manners.

"No, I am not. Professor Dumbledore doesn't have any children, let alone grandchildren."

"Oh, alright then, but I know that I saw you around the castle last term and you weren't a student then. If you were, you wouldn't have been Sorted earlier today."

By the time he had finished speaking, a few of her other housemates had ceased their own conversations in order to pay attention to her. Even Evie was staring at her with an odd expression on her face. Did none of them possess any tact? Such blatant staring was really beginning to annoy the young raven-haired witch, though she knew that she should be rather thankful. This could help to decrease the chance of anyone realizing the whole truth.

Victoria gave the boy a very small smile and said, "Yes, you probably did see me last term. The headmaster is my godfather, and I stay with him while my father is indisposed." She was beginning to enjoy this. Now it was time to see if anyone of them would take the bait. Perhaps the audience wasn't such a bad thing.

This time it was Evie who spoke, "What do you mean your father is indisposed?"

Shaking her head at the girl beside her, Victoria answered, "My father travels a lot and cannot always take me with him. According to him, it is 'too dangerous' for me and that I 'need to grow up in a stable and steady environment.' Whatever that means!"

"But what about your mum? Couldn't you just stay with her?" It was Evie again.

Victoria gave a tiny smile tinged with a bit of sadness and answered, "No. She died when I was a baby. Probably why Dad travels so much. I know he misses her a lot. Anyway, do you mind if we changed the subject? This one is a bit depressing."

"Oh yes, I'm so sorry. I didn't man to be so rude. My big mouth got hold of me, and I didn't think before I spoke. I'm so sorry," blurted out Evie as one very rushed explanation.

"It's alright Evie. I don't remember her, and it's difficult to miss someone you never knew," stated Victoria. What she had said about her mother was true. The young witch didn't miss her mother because she couldn't remember the woman. However, that didn't mean that she had never wanted to know, wanted to grow up with her mother, the woman she had been led to believe was her father's late wife.

Then, in an effort to direct the attention away from her lest she be subject to the sympathies and pity of those sitting around her, Victoria turned toward the boy who had been gutsy enough to ask who she was, and asked her own question. "I'm terribly sorry. I've just been sitting here talking about myself to you when I don't even know your name. So, you are…?"

"Oh hello, I'm Jonathan Geyer. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," she said with a nod. "Tell me, what's it like in Ravenclaw?"

_A/N: Hello there! I did not explain everything that I had thought I would originally simply because it wouldn't work well. With that said, I would like to thank all those who have read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. It is appreciated and I would also greatly appreciate reviews for this chapter. I hope you have enjoyed my story thus far. Toodles!_


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, however, I do own the lovely Victoria and the plot.

Secretly, My Daughter

Chapter Four

Victoria Snape was, in fact, the only person her father trusted unconditionally and without question. Of course, there were many things that he had never told her - one of them being the true identity of her mother, though that was just a matter of time - and there were many things that he would never tell her, such as what exactly his duties as a Death Eater had entailed. Severus knew that he could trust her to never betray him or reveal such knowledge to anyone, but to burden a child with said knowledge would be unforgivable. And as to the identity of her mother, well, that was for Victoria's own safety.

There were also many things in life that he would never admit aloud to nearly anybody, for one reason or another. And there were even fewer that he was unwilling to admit to his daughter. This particular issue was one of them.

The matter at hand that day, however, was nothing too dire. The dreaded Potion's Master was feeling incredibly sentimental. He missed his daughter terribly.

Impatiently counting down the seconds until his first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw class ended, Severus began making his way through the classroom leaving snide comments and intimidated students in his wake. If need be, he would ask her to remain after class, yes, he like that idea quite a lot.

He continued to stalk through the classroom, disparaging remark here, disdainful sneer there, all the while mentally chastising himself for having turned into such a horrid sop. It really shouldn't bother him so much that he had scarcely seen and had not spoken, at all, to his daughter for several days. It shouldn't bother him that Victoria seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her new life without him. It shouldn't, but it did. And for that, he chastised himself further and swore that he would allow no one to ever realize the extent of his newly discovered idiotic tendencies regarding his progeny.

Briefly, he wondered if that was how the other parents felt after sending their child off to Hogwarts. Perhaps not completely. Those parents were not a professor to their children nor did they have to act as though the child, or children, were nothing more significant than wide-eyed, little cretins seemingly hell-bent on driving him insane. No, those parents were definitely the lucky ones.

With just about a minute of class time remaining, Severus came back to the front of the room and glanced around once more, blatantly unimpressed. With a last look of contempt he spoke, "This is one of the _very_ few class times you will not have work of some sort to turn in at the end. The assignment given on the board is due next class as well as two feet of parchment discussing, in exacting detail, all ingredient preparation techniques covered in the lesson today."

"Memorize them, live them, sleep them, breathe them, dream them. _Know them! _I refuse to waste my valuable time teaching the lot of you each class how to properly prepare each ingredient. Be prepared to actually use your brains, assuming that any of you have any, when you're in my classroom. Now, get out!"

Hurriedly, the majority of the students packed up their materials and left. Victoria was one of the few - well, three to be precise - to not rush her egress. Severus ignored them as he sat behind his desk and began to mark summer assignments from his other classes.

The second to last student was just walking through the door when his daughter spoke, "Professor Snape?"

He pulled a face of much long-suffering and looked up, "Yes, Miss Vandelle?"

"Sir, I was wondering if I could speak with you about the homework assignment. I have some questions."

"Very well," he said as he made to stand up. "Follow me." Severus warded his classroom and led the young witch through a door in back of the room and into his office. He paused for a moment to check that the appropriate wards were still up in there and to reveal the door leading to his quarters. Once that was finished, they entered and stood several feet away from each other. That lasted for barely a minute before Victoria launched herself at her father and hugged him fiercely.

A rumbling sort-of vibration against her cheek and the sound of Severus Snape's chuckles echoing off the walls of his sitting room was what first alerted the young Ravenclaw to her father's amusement. Reluctantly, she pulled away from him and gave a half-hearted glare before turning away with a huff and a pseudo-irritated toss of her hair over her shoulders and primly sat in his favorite armchair as though she had every right in the world.

Such actions were taken with the deliberate intent of furthering his amusement. He so seldom laughed, even with her, that Victoria would try her best to prolong the moment whenever possible. She liked to see him happy, and he knew exactly what she was doing. It was one of the games they constantly played together in order to avoid outright expression of how they felt whenever possible. Of course, there were a few times that they would - generally when an emotion was particularly intense or when there was a particularly momentous occasion for either of them - express aloud how they felt about something.

"Missed me did you?" asked Severus with a devilish smirk and a mischievous light in his eyes.

"Of course not, but I would never tell you that. It would hurt your poor, tender heart, and I don't want to see you cry," she said with a look closely mirroring her fathers.

"How very courteous of you. Your assimilation into ordinary castle life seems to have affected your sensibilities. Or perhaps it is the influence of your new Hufflepuff _friend_," stated the wizard as he made to sit down on the sofa with a slight grimace.

"For one who had so adamantly stated that she needed no friends several days ago, you seem to be accumulating quite a few of them. And dunderheaded ones at that."

Victoria wasn't sure if it were possible for his smirk to be anymore amused or pronounced. Finally, she conceded defeat. He had won that round, but she was now more determined to win the next. Silently, she stood and walked toward the sofa to sit down next to her smug father.

He chuckled again in acknowledge of his victory as she scowled darkly at him. There was no need to be so arrogant! Blasted Slytherin!

"So," she said in an effort to change the subject because he was starting to become insufferable, "how have your classes been? How many cauldrons have been melted or blown up? Do you have any students that don't factor into the imbecilic dunderhead category? How - "

"Slow down, Victoria. One question at a time please." The young witch gave herself a mental pat on the back for sufficiently wiping that annoyingly smug look off of Severus Snape's face. That one was for insulting her new friends. It was a small victory, but she would take it. After all, she didn't want to irritate him, just get him to stop irritating her.

Of course the Potion's Master knew what his daughter was doing. He always knew, but made it seem that she had pulled one over on him sometimes. And he would never say otherwise. "Classes are the same as all years previous. There's not a single promising student in the lot."

"Not even any of the first years?"

Severus smirked, an amused glint still apparent in his eye. "Especially not the first years. I had some hope for one of the Ravenclaws, but it was dashed not long after the class began. It was rather disappointing," he said with a fake air of weary sadness. "Albus had assured me before term began that she was brilliant with Potions. My observations, however, showed quite the contrary.

"Dad!" cried Victoria in exasperation and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're so mean!"

"That is the general consensus, yes. It seems even you are not exempt from that. Though I am glad you've decided to dispense with the very unoriginal insults of 'greasy git' and 'overgrown bat.' Honestly, you'd think that they would come up with something new over the years."

"Oh, but you know I didn't mean it like that. And I would never call you by any of those horrid names. Really - "

"Stop fishing for compliments," she growled, now outright glaring at her frustratingly Slytherin father.

"Here's a new one for you. How about bloody, boorishly annoying lout?" she turned and flicked him on the tip of his nose. It was not something she had done before.

"Language, young lady," the smirk was now replaced with a disapproving frown. "And don't do that again."

The young witch looked down and stared at her feet guiltily. "Sorry." A moment later she looked up at her father, eyes wide and lower lip slightly protruding. "I'm really, really sorry, Daddy." Now the lip was quivering slightly and her eyes had taken on a glassy sheen.

Victoria didn't mean to hurt him, and she knew that she had though he had not indicated that that was so either verbally or nonverbally. He just made her so upset sometimes. The girl had inherited bits of both her parents temper. In this case, Severus' tendency to say hurtful things that he didn't really mean while upset reared its ugly head within his daughter. She normally had remarkable control - for a child her age - over her temper. In fact, the only people who had seen her lose control were her father and godparents.

Such displays were few and far between and usually brought about when she was distressed, overly tired, frightened, or any combination of those three. Luckily, the frequently taciturn man knew this, so he readily forgave her. There were, of course, going to be consequences for her words and action, they both knew that, but for now, Severus needed to comfort his distraught daughter and find out what was bothering her.

Pulling her from the corner of the sofa, which she had seemed to be attempting to melt into, he gathered her into his arms and held her while she fought against the sobs and tears that were struggling to make themselves obvious and apparent. Severus offered what silent comfort he could with his embrace, still feeling somewhat awkward while doing so even after eleven years and some odd months of caring for his child. He so loathed being around crying people and usually treated any he came across as lepers and did his best to avoid them. And were Victoria anyone else, she would have been told to "cease her useless blubbering that instant before points were taken away and detentions were given." It was fortunate that she was not. In fact, she was the only living person her father allowed to cry whilst in his presence.

"Little banshee," he said softly, using his pet name for her in an effort to calm her enough so that they could converse and he could find out what was wrong, "something's bothering you. I need to know what has you acting this way."

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"That's a lie," said the Potion's Master, his tone disapproving as his obsidian eyes bore straight into her emerald ones.

"Really, Dad, I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Victoria. Something _is_ bothering you, which is why you're so upset now. I would also hazard a guess that you're not sleeping very well, if at all. Just tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."

"Really - "

"No, the truth. Now."

"Alright. No, I haven't been sleeping well. One of the girls in my dormitory snores really loud. And I haven't gotten used to being there yet, so it feels really weird."

"Is that all?" questioned Severus with a raised eyebrow and skeptical look.

"Yes." He continued to stare at her, but now he had the you're-in-big-trouble-if-you-don't-do-what-I-say-right-now look on his face. Victoria called it the Scary Dad Face, most others - his students especially - called it the Snape Death Glare. She averted her eyes and bit her lower lip.

In a voice that was just loud enough for him to hear, "People keep bothering me."

What?! Why those putrescent, little vermin! They dared to bother his daughter! Well, he would fix them. None of those pathetic excuses for students would know what hit them. Now he just needed to find out who it was and what they said or did that upset Victoria so. Severus was, of course, beyond angry. No one would be allowed to treat her as he had been treated when he was her age.

In a voice that brooked no argument, "I need you to tell me exactly what has happened and who's at fault. And don't worry about anything, I'll being taking care of the situation personally."

The young emerald-eyed girl suddenly looked up at the man comforting her, confused. What was wrong with him? Oh. He thought… Well, that wasn't good. She found that she now needed to tell him everything so that a whole bunch of students weren't punished for her father having misunderstood her. Just wonderful.

"No, no, Dad. It's not what you think. You don't have to take care of anything. Everything's fine."

"Stop lying to me! Everything will be fine, but you just have to tell me what's wrong. Are you being blackmailed not to say anything? _Who is responsible for upsetting you?!"_

To say that Severus was worried would have been a vast understatement. He was worried, very greatly worried, but also scared. He had promised Lily that he would do his utmost to make sure that their daughter was safe, and now, in her first week of schooling at Hogwarts, she was unsafe. He had failed already, but he would fix it. By the gods, he would. Nobody was allowed to harm his child.

Victoria was now sitting completely upright, not touching her father. If she didn't tell him soon, he would go off on a vengeful rampage whether or not she told him who was "responsible." Goodness knows what would happen then.

"Dad, calm down! Please. It's really not what you think, I swear. Just calm down, and I'll tell you what's been bothering me."

And to all outward appearances, Severus did calm down. He sat, blank-faced, staring at his daughter, waiting for her to speak. In reality, he was restless and poised for action. If he so much as perceived the slightest inclination that someone was harming his daughter, he was going to take action. It was a pity that the worst probable thing he could really do was to get the person, or persons, expelled. He would dearly love to make whomever was responsible pay in equal measure for the distress he or she had caused Victoria. Ah, but if he did manage to get that person expelled, he could then hunt them down and avenge his child.

"Um, well… it's going to sound so silly and stupid to you. That's why I didn't want to tell you earlier."

He pointedly raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She looked down again, feeling rather ashamed. "Yeah. I mean yes. It's really, really, stupid.

"It's just that people, the other students, talk a lot." Severus certainly hadn't expected to hear that. "I mean, I know that I should be happy about being able to spread the story so easily, but they just won't shut up. And they won't leave me alone either."

"Dad, most of them really are dunderheads. Seriously, they have no sense of propriety, no manners. Yesterday, some fifth year walked up to me while I was heading to breakfast and asked if it was really true that I'm Dumbledore's goddaughter. I answered him, and then he just _walked away!_

"I mean, the dolt didn't even say anything after I answered, just walked away. Walked right over to his little friends and started gossiping like old women. All of them completely ignored me, but continued to talk about me like I wasn't there. Stupid, stupid prats. The nerve!"

The wizard was torn between annoyed amusement and relief. The situation wasn't as he had thought after all. He had overreacted. And yet, what had happened was a bit troubling. His daughter had now become the new object of speculation and attention for the students of Hogwarts. Unfortunately, it was something that Victoria would have to wait out until she became old news. He, along with her godparents, would be there for her if she needed them though, and Severus told her so.

And after that rather dramatic episode, they continued their visit and discussed various other subjects, one of which were better ways to see each other. The both agreed that it would quickly become suspicious if she stayed behind after every Potions class. Soon enough, it came time for the Snape pair to - reluctantly - part, and so they did, each feeling lighter than they had in several days.

_A/N: Hello again. So sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. This chapter has given me hell. However, this was supposed to be only a part of chapter four rather than the entirety of it, but I decided that I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. I've had a few people get impatient with me, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. _

_I was, unfortunately, also rather caught up with updating one of my other stories, started a new one, wrote a oneshot, and edited the previous chapters for this story (hopefully the quality is a bit better). And, I also regret to inform you that this story might continue to be slowly updated until I have finished the story I got so caught up with. I'll try to not neglect _Secretly, My Daughter_ for slightly over four months again. That was entirely too long._

_Anyway, I would like to thank, as per usual, everyone who has read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. I'm so very glad that you have. Please, review again and tell me how you felt about this chapter. It's made me a bit nervous, to tell you the truth. Furthermore, I once again apologize for the long wait and also for this horridly long author's note. Until next time._


	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, however, I do own the lovely Victoria and the plot.

Secretly, My Daughter

Chapter Five

It took some effort for Victoria Snape to not look happy in any possible way as she left the Potion Master's office. She'd felt happier and lighter, peaceful even, than she had in the past few days. However, she couldn't very well leave one of the most unpleasant - at least, according to the majority of the castle's students - places in Hogwarts with a smile upon her face. It would be far too suspicious.

She had taken a few steps away from the office before she remembered to wipe that bit of a smile off and replace it with a pained and humiliated look, the very look that the majority of students not belonging to Slytherin house wore whenever they dared to ask Professor Snape something after class had ended. And, with that same look, she began to make her way to the library. She had essays to write and reading to get through. As the girl walked along, she slowly allowed that look to slip from her face and into one of thoughtful neutrality.

However, once she reached the library itself, she did allow the barest hint of that smile back onto her face. Inside, she had spotted her two friends, or rather, the closest thing to friends she had.

Victoria was unsure as to what being friends meant exactly. It was, after all, completely new territory for her. She was making the attempt, but decided that she would most likely need to consult her godmother on how best to be a friend and to keep the ones she was making. Interpersonal relationships were a difficult concept for the young witch. She'd had very little practice and inclination previously.

With that decided, she made her way across the library toward Evie and William, who had asked her to call him Will. Halfway there, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

It was that nosy boy the year ahead of her; he was waving. Jonathan, his name was, though he had said that he preferred Jon. She nodded at him, continuing toward the table that held her friends, all the while mentally shaking her head at all the shortening of names that the people surrounding her insisted upon. Victoria was hoping that they would not attempt to shorten her name. That would not do. Her name was Victoria, there was no need to shorten it, even for the sake of convenience. Annoying and lazy that.

When the young Ravenclaw was but a few steps from the table, she paused, observing the two sitting there. Evie was diligently working on her Transfiguration essay. From the look of it, she was a bit more than halfway finished. Will too was sitting with a book out in front of him. However, it was clear that he was not working on anything school related, or anything at all, for that matter. No, he was far too preoccupied with staring at the girl sitting across from him.

Upon seeing this, Victoria paused and frowned. She'd seen that look before on various other students throughout the past few years. That look suggested to the emerald-eyed girl that Will was rather taken with Evie, despite the fact that they had met for the first time slightly less than a week ago. Evie, for her part, seemed oblivious. Victoria shook her head. This certainly did not bode well. To her, it was a disaster waiting to happen, and she decided then and there that, when the inevitable occurred, she would try her utmost to stay out of it and not allow herself to be dragged in the middle.

She may know little about friendship, but she did know that that was a sure fire way to destroy at least one of her newly found, now-budding friendships. She nearly shuddered at the thought of having two different people attempting to metaphorically drag her in two different directions.

With that decided, the young witch finally reached the table, sat and greeted the two sitting there, and pulled out all needed and necessary school materials for her Transfiguration essay and the Charms reading assignment. Now that there was another person at the table with them, Will - not so casually - began to actually do some of his work, lest his _secret_ become known. He managed to do so by turning his book right side up and pulling a piece of parchment and a quill from his bag, in only a slightly hurried fashion. Victoria pretended not to notice, and Evie didn't notice a thing behind the curtain that her long, strawberry-blonde hair made.

A few more minutes passed, in which the raven-haired girl completed her Charms reading. It would not have taken such a short amount of time if she hadn't already started reading it. She had just made to begin her Transfiguration essay, when it seemed that Will finally became bored with pretending to do his work and decided that, because he found himself unable to concentrate, then his companions should not be allowed to do their work either.

"So," he said, finally breaking the silence and turning toward Victoria, "what took you so long in getting here? Fall into a trick step? Get lost? Did Filch's cat try to eat you?" As he spoke, Evie finally looked up from her essay.

Victoria chose to ignore the Hufflepuff boy's first question. "Considering that I've practically grown up in this castle, one would think that I know how to avoid all the trick steps and most certainly not find myself lost. And as for _Mr._ Filch's cat trying to eat me, absolutely not." This was all said with a disdainful sniff and a raised eyebrow, however, the dramatic effect was ruined by the slight, amused upturn of her lip.

She then continued, with eyebrow slowly lowering and the upturned lip becoming more pronounced. It could almost be classified as a smirk. "I think the blasted cat did try to eat my while I was younger though. Sometimes she would follow me around or sneak up on me. Well, that stopped one day about two years ago. Hilarious that."

Will stared, eyes bulging, at her for a long moment before he realized that she was not going to elaborate. "And…?"

"And then she stopped."

"Yeah," he said in equal parts exasperation and curiosity, "but why'd she stop?"

Severus Snape's daughter was inwardly smirking. This was rather fun. "Most likely because she didn't like what I did to her and had no desire for me to do so again."

"But what did you _do?_"

"Oh, I just accidentally managed to stick her paws to the floor and turned her nose green."

Both her tablemates now stared at her in shock. They hadn't expected that. Will finally found his voice, "How do you _accidentally_ stick a cat's paws to the floor and turn it's nose green? I'll bet you did it on purpose."

"I did no such thing. It was uncontrolled magic. I had no wand at the time."

She then continued her explanation. "The miniature walking doormat had startled me on the wrong day. I don't exactly recall why that day had been so horrible, but it was. Anyway, to sum it up, I lost control and vented all my frustration on her. She's not had much to do with me since."

Now that his curiosity was satisfied, the young wizard decided to bring up another subject of interest. "Oi, and that's another thing," he said, as though the other two had been privy to his thoughts, "why d'you talk like that? All proper and with really big words and all? I just realized."

Well, Victoria hadn't been expecting that, though it was rather diverting. But, before she could answer, Evie interjected. "Don't be an idiot, Will. Use your brain. She probably talks like that because she's mostly been around a whole bunch of adults a lot of the time. And all of them the professors here, which you would know if you'd been paying any attention to the things she's said this last week. Honestly," she huffed.

Will looked somewhat crestfallen at her rebuke, but then perked himself back up. "Dinner's soon. Let's go, and we can finish all this boring homework stuff later. We've got the whole weekend ahead of us."

The three of them packed up their things before leaving the library and making their way to the Great Hall. On the way, Victoria mentally congratulated herself for having successfully steered the subject of discussion away from her previous whereabouts. It was, without a doubt, a very good thing that she and her father had come up with various different ways for them to see each other throughout the coming year.

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Several hours later, Victoria left Hogwarts Hospital Wing after a discussion with her godmother. It was a somewhat stilted conversation at first because the girl had been unwilling to admit that she unsure of something, but eventually, Poppy managed to pry the information out of her. Friendship. Well, that was certainly something that she hadn't seen coming, or even really discussed with Victoria before.

At first, the conversation seemed innocent enough, with questions and answers deemed simple and straightforward. However, that was before the mediwitch came to understand just how hubristic Victoria's thoughts were regarding her peers. And it was not entirely the young witch's fault that she thought that way either, Poppy realized. She felt guilty. She should have recognized this earlier. She should have prevented it from happening in the first place. Why had none of them even considered this while raising the girl?

Well, there wasn't much she could do about it now. But, she would need to enlist help. Severus needed to be told, and he would, more than likely, not take what she said seriously, thinking that she was just being dramatic and sentimental. So, first she would go to Albus and express her concerns, and then they, in turn, would discuss it with Severus.

With that decided, Poppy checked the infirmary once more to make sure that no students had entered it while she'd been lost in thought. Upon seeing that no one had entered, she took a pinch of Floo powder from the box insider her desk, went to the fireplace, and Flooed the headmaster, asking him if he could please come down for a visit, as she had something to discuss with him.

_A/N: Hello again! I apologize for the long wait. I know that it's been a long time since I've written or updated anything, but I've been very busy. Apparently, giving birth and subsequently taking care of your first child will do that. Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. And also, thank you to everyone as read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. It is always appreciated - so long as it's at the very least civil. I don't know when I'll be able to update, but I'll try to relatively soon. Bye now._


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